Exergoeconomic Optimization of Oil and Gas Production Systems

Abstract

Abstract In the present paper, we first developed and implemented the exergy analysis within an Integrated Asset Modeling (IAM) platform to evaluate the overall energy efficiency and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions of a future offshore oil production system. The use of the same state function enables a direct comparison of the different irreversibilities that occur through the entire production system (drawdown losses, lift losses, Artificial lift and boosting systems losses, etc.) and thus, provides the necessary guidance for engineers to select the best solution. Then, we modeled and evaluated the performance of the oil production system with three artificial lift and boosting techniques, including multiphase boosting, gas lift, and ESP. In all the cases, liquid production has been maximized while respecting the same constraints. The exergy analysis enabled us to quantify for the first time the physical exergy supplied naturally by the reservoir in the form of pressure (mechanical exergy) and temperature (thermal exergy). After that, we proposed a new methodology to improve the design of petroleum production systems over their whole life. This methodology permits the simultaneous evaluation of a multitude of development schemes by using generic models. Finally, the multi-period exergoeconomic optimization results highlight a performance gap, quite logical, between the most cost-effective scheme identified and the most energy-efficient one. There are hence excellent opportunities for progress by developing the exergy approach and digital tools for the selection and development of greener and more profitable production concepts, processes, and technologies.